Mia nodded in a daze. Like a child who’d just earned his teacher’s praise, Adrian kissed her more fervently and began to undress her.

His hand continued downward...

For some reason, Mia went from enjoying it at first to her body slowly growing rigid.

The terror from that day on the boat washed over her.

The curses, the humiliation, being chained like an animal.

She was blindfolded. Unable to see, her sense of touch was heightened to the extreme.

That large hand roaming over her body.

’He was sating his own loneliness.’ But back then, she was Chase Lockwood’s girlfriend, yet she was forced to be intimate with another man.

’I wanted to die...’

In that instant, her fear peaked.

"Don’t..."

Mia’s face suddenly turned deathly pale, drenched in a cold sweat. Not knowing where the strength came from, she viciously slapped him.

Even her hand stung with pain.

Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, her palm red and swollen, a testament to the force of the blow.

Seeming to on the verge of collapse, she stumbled backward until her back hit the door.

Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead.

"I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to..."

She frantically opened the door and fled.

Adrian stood frozen in place, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his face ashen.

The light in his eyes shattered in an instant. He stared blankly as Mia ran away.

Finally, he slowly lowered his gaze, looking like an abandoned child.

He couldn’t feel the sting on his face, only the ache in his heart.

It felt like it was being sliced by a thousand tiny cuts.

’He knew. Every day Mia spent with him was an exercise in tolerance.’

’He had wronged her. She tried her best not to bring it up. He knew she had feelings for him, but trauma was trauma, and it was hard to overcome.’

’The more time they spent together, the more it must have felt like a bone stuck in her throat. She just hid it well, not wanting to give him any psychological burden.’

’She was worried about burdening the bad guy.’

’That silly woman.’

Adrian sometimes found it laughable when he thought about it.

’Why was Mia willing to be with him?’

’It was because she saw him risk his life. She didn’t want him to die.’

’It was pity.’

’She pitied him.’

’What was there to like about a maggot from the gutter like him, someone who only knew how to lurk in the shadows and strike from behind?’

’He had simply gambled with his life and won.’

He finished dressing and looked at his pathetic reflection in the mirror.

His cheek was too red and swollen to be seen in public.

He gently touched his own face, with only one thought in his mind.

’She hit so hard. I wonder if her hand hurts?’

He didn’t go looking for Mia, afraid she didn’t want to see him right now. Instead, he had a maid deliver some medicinal liniment that was exceptionally good for bruises.

Mia stood in the courtyard, letting the breeze cool her, her mind a total mess.

She stared fixedly at her hand. ’How could I have just hit him like that?’

’It was a complete reflex.’

’I even tried to convince myself that if it wasn’t Adrian, it would have been someone else, so it might as well be him.’

’He’d saved me, and he’d hurt me. The good and bad cancelled each other out.’

’But that wasn’t true. The trauma from that incident ran too deep.’

’Normally, it’s fine. But when it actually comes to that, I find myself completely repulsed.’

’If only...’

’If only I didn’t know it was Adrian, then I wouldn’t be resisting.’

’Is he in pain?’

’His cheek swelled up right away. It must hurt so much.’

Just as she was thinking this, a maid brought the medicinal liniment, saying it was from Adrian.

Her heart filled with even more self-reproach.

’You don’t hit people in the face, especially not a man.’

She wanted to go apologize and see how bad his face was.

Mustering her courage, she went upstairs and knocked on his door.

Adrian opened the door.

"Your hand..."

"Your face..."

They spoke at almost the exact same time.

But neither finished. They just stood there, frozen, until Adrian spoke first.

"Is your hand okay? Have you used the liniment?"

Mia shook her head gently.

"Let me apply it for you."

He gently took her by the hand and led her inside. As she sat on the edge of the bed, he knelt on one knee and began treating her injury.

Anyone watching would have thought he was proposing, about to slip a ring onto her finger.

After applying the liniment, he blew on her hand gently. The pain subsided, replaced by a cool sensation.

"Try not to get it wet today, and don’t lift anything heavy."

Just as Adrian was giving his instructions, Mia unexpectedly reached up with her other hand and gently caressed his cheek.

"Does it hurt a lot? I’m sorry, I... I don’t know my own strength."

Adrian reached out and gently took her hand in his.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask her if being with him was difficult. He was an awkward, contradictory person; was she in constant torment, having to overcome her fear just to be with him?

But he didn’t dare to ask. He was afraid that if he asked, Mia would be forced to confront the issue and leave him.

He couldn’t bear the consequences of losing Mia.

He had kept her in his heart for far too long—so long that she couldn’t simply be excised.

Mia’s heart trembled under his complicated gaze.

’What on earth is he thinking right now?’

"Adrian, you can tell me what you’re thinking. Please don’t keep everything bottled up inside, okay?"

"Okay."

But then, nothing followed.

Mia felt a bit helpless.

As Adrian recovered, he had to return to the Preston Group to handle business.

Mia finally had some free time as well, so she decided to head out to her studio.

She had been working from home all this time and felt it was unfair to Owen Sinclair. She planned to transfer her shares in the studio to him, making him the majority shareholder. She also thought the studio should be renamed. Owen had put in far too much effort, and she had no right to take credit for his work.

Owen wouldn’t agree to a name change, but the shares were the most important part. Making him the majority shareholder would put her mind at ease.

"You’ve been saying you’re busy this whole time, and Adrian hasn’t been to the Preston Group either. Are you two... together?"

Owen Sinclair asked, mustering his courage.

Mia didn’t hide the truth.

"Yes, I’ve been with him. He was injured, and I’ve been taking care of him."

"So you two... have gotten back together?"

"You could say that. Adrian... is a complicated person. I don’t know how far we’ll go, but for now, we’re together."

’Before, my view of Adrian was too one-sided,’ she thought. ’I saw him as an absolutely perfect person. But after spending time with him, I realized he had a full range of human emotions and desires. He had good and bad in him—he was a real, living person.’

’I sensed the danger and wanted to run, but I realized I couldn’t escape, so I decided to face it head-on.’

’Now, more than anything, my heart aches for him.’

’It’s hard to imagine that someone who seems so brilliant on the outside could be so desolate on the inside.’

’It felt like two lost souls huddling together for warmth. I once saved Adrian, and now, he’s saving me.’

’I’m trying to overcome the trauma of the past, to give him a chance—and to give myself one, too.’

’I don’t want Adrian to be so self-deprecating, and I don’t want him to be a closed book, always bottling things up and pushing himself into a corner.’

’I want to pull Adrian out of his Hell and piece him back together, bit by bit, until he’s whole again.’

"Congratulations..."

Owen Sinclair was silent for a long moment before finally forcing out the word.

"I’m relieved to know you’re with him. I’m sure he’ll treat you well and never let you be wronged."

"Thank you, Owen. If we really end up getting married, I’ll hold a wedding, and I’ll be sure to invite you."

"Of course. I’ll be sure to give you a generous wedding gift."

Owen Sinclair also laughed freely.

Mia was a wonderful person, and so was he. Their inability to be together wasn’t a matter of right or wrong, or one of them not being good enough.

It could only be said that it wasn’t meant to be. He hadn’t taken that crucial step back then, and now it was too late. Not everyone gets a second chance.

What Owen Sinclair didn’t know was that some people do, because a certain someone had never given up on Mia.

After finishing her business, she went to the Lynch family home to visit her aunt, uncle, and grandmother.

She just didn’t expect Chase Lockwood to be there as well.

She hadn’t seen him in person, but she saw his car parked at the entrance to the villa.

Not wanting to see him again, she decided to come back another day. Just as she was about to drive off, someone approached her car.

"Mia? Is that you? It really is you!"

The person approaching was Aunt Lynch.

Her aunt was thrilled to see her. "Why don’t you park and come inside?"

"Aunt Lynch, Chase Lockwood is here, so I won’t bother you all. I’ll come see Grandma tomorrow."

"Don’t say that! You should hurry inside. You didn’t know, but Vivian Lynch is here too. My mother-in-law feels unwell just seeing her, and her old health problems are flaring up again."

"Vivian Lynch is here too?"